Editorial: The confounding, weird Pruitt-EPA era is continuing

Former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s tenure as head of the Environmental Protection Agency has been one scandal and incident after another.

That President Donald Trump’s EPA director would focus more on removing regulations than enforcing them is not surprising: it’s a philosophy that permeated Trump’s campaign. Pruitt, however, has failed in such a consistent, unethical and spectacular fashion that his incompetence is truly remarkable. Yesterday, during a summit to discuss PFAS contamination in U.S. water systems, the EPA denied CNN and the Associated Press access to a speech by Pruitt. An AP reporter who wanted to address the lack of access with an EPA staff member was forcibly removed from the building by security guards. The media organizations were later given access to cover the summit which, more importantly, discussed new EPA regulations on hazardous PFAS chemicals, the subject of a Department of Health and Human Services agency report the EPA and the White House attempted to suppress earlier this year. Restricting AP access to what Pruitt called an important summit isn’t just about restricting the Associated Press’ access. Community newspapers regularly rely on the AP for national news coverage, so restricting their access restricts theirs.

He has squandered his chance to oversee the agency. It’s impossible to detail all of the infuriating decisions committed by the EPA under Pruitt, or by Pruitt himself. But here’s a summary:

He has been notoriously paranoid, requiring armed security even at EPA headquarters, keeping doors on the floor with his office locked and requiring EPA employees to be escorted to the floor he works on.

Pruitt regularly flies first class commercially, and has exorbitantly spent taxpayer dollars on chartered and military flights.

He spent more than $40,000 to build a soundproof booth in his office, violating federal spending laws, according to the Government Accountability Office.

He spent $45,000 on business class airplane tickets for staff members to fly to Australia in preparation for a trip in 2017 he ended up not making

Pruitt leased a Washington condo from a lobbyist representing several clients in industries regulated by the EPA for $6,100 over a six month period, well below market value. At one point, Pruitt’s security team broke down the door to the condo when they couldn’t contact Pruitt, eventually reimbursing the condo association for almost $2,500 in damage.

Two staffers Pruitt brought with him from Oklahoma were given, combined, raises totally more than $75,000. Pruitt claimed he knew nothing about the raises, which were given despite the request being rejected by the White House, but multiple sources told the Washington Post the raises were ordered by Pruitt.

All this from a man who claims there is no scientific consensus about mankind’s role in climate change and who sued the EPA more than a dozen times when he served as Oklahoma attorney general.

It’s high time for Pruitt to stop embarrassing the office and his responsibilities.